Monthly Archives:October 2009

Maybe it’s the red and black (Kenai Kards colors) . . . maybe it’s some of the concerts I’ve seen at KCHS . . . but I am thinking that Hendy would have a LOT of fun with this!

A recent poll has shown “whatever” to be at the top of the least favorite words or phrases used by people today.

“It can be an all-purpose argument-ender or a signal of apathy. And it can really be annoying. The poll found “whatever” to be consistently disliked by Americans regardless of their race, gender, age, income or where they live.”

I will admit to using the word myself . . . and, mostly I’ve used it without thinking. Since this poll and its resulting publicity I have tried to make myself more aware and have begun to temper its use – in the hopes of being less annoying to my coworkers and, more importantly, to my family.

With all of this publicity, however, I have to chime in on my least favorite, but most frequently heard, phrase these days: “now, look.”

Sound familiar? It is in almost every sound bite of President Obama’s speeches and news conferences. I thought it might end after the election . . . once he took office he would surely see it as slightly demeaning to constantly draw people’s attention to him with those two words.

However, the usage has now grown beyond President Obama. NBC’s news reporters are picking it up and using it with increasing frequency. The NBC White House reporters must hear it so often they have let it slide into their own conversation. Now with any White House report I am likely to hear it several times – from the president to the various reporters.

Maybe he’s a Ron Wood fan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_Look (end facetiousness)

Not sure why it bothers me so much . . . I think I find it demeaning because it sounds like I am being talked down to, looked down upon, because I don’t get – can’t grasp – haven’t SEEN whatever (WHATEVER! used appropriately in this case.) it is the speaker is drawing my attention to at that particular moment.

Anyone else? (ala Ferris Bueler’s Day Off . . . anyone, anyone, anyone???)

maybe it’s just me.

Maybe? Maybe not? (knot?)

from a trailer for a new book: Bent Objects by Terry Border. The pictures in the trailer did not make it into the book, so enjoy.

. . . ask an expert. When nobody else seemed to know the answer to “what kind of plant is this?” we took the advice of Ladybug and went to the experts . . . the folks at the Kenai Wildlife Refuge.

First . . . PawPaw and Isaiah had to check to see who was tallest . . . one of them, or a moose – the moose won. So, which animal’s height is closest to Zaiah’s height? The mountain sheep.

Then while we were waiting for the ranger to finish talking with another person I began looking through the wildflower book and found it! To be sure, however, I did show the picture on my camera to the ranger and she agreed . . . it is a leaf from Alaska’s Northern Red Currant.

To be absoLUTEly sure, she called out another ranger to see the picture and help identify, because as you can see by the pictures on that website, the leaves are generally all green or all red.

Both rangers told me that if the leaves were still so nice, they would be good specimens to press. So, hubbymoose, Isaiah and I went back to my workplace and picked some of the leaves to keep.

Mystery solved.

. . . let Fall into the room when I wasn’t looking?

There are some gorgeous colors out there – even if we don’t have oaks and maples for the vibrant red leaves.

Sadly . . . I also saw THIS yesterday morning:

And this picture was taken at 11:30 a.m. after a morning’s worth of bright sun shining on it . . . sigh . . . won’t be too much longer
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